Rachel Tucker
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| Rachel Tucker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rachel Tucker 29 May 1981 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Rachel Tucker (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish singer and actress who competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Background
Tucker grew up singing on the cabaret circuit from the age of 15 with her father, Tommy (Tucker) Kelly and sister Margaret Kelly under the groups name Tucker Kelly and the Kelstar.[citation needed] She was a member of the Arts Youth Theatre during the late 1990's featuring in shows such as Ecstasy and Our Day out.[citation needed] She then went on to feature in Michael Poyners version of the Rockin Mikado as Katisha.[citation needed] She also featured as a contestant with sister Margaret on Michael Barrymore's My Kind of Music singing "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!".[citation needed] She also competed in the talent show Star for a Night making the final with her performance of "Kids".[citation needed]
Tucker trained at the Royal Academy of Music[2] She worked with Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead in the 2005 United Kingdom tour of Tommy as Sally Simpson[3]
In December 2007 Tucker appeared as Dorothy in the Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, written by John Kane at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. The Stage described her performance as "looking and sounding uncannily like the legendary Garland".[4]
[edit] I'd Do Anything
Tucker was chosen as one of the twelve finalists on the show in 2008, appearing each week in the live show on Saturday evenings and the Results show which aired each Sunday. In week six she was in the bottom two with Sarah Lark, with Tucker having received the lowest number of viewers votes. In the Results show on 4 May they sang "As If We Never Said Goodbye ", from the musical Sunset Boulevard. Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Tucker and eliminate Lark, saying "I have to think as a producer and I do think Rachel was rock solid."[5]
Tucker was once again in the bottom two in week eight, the quarter-final stage of the series. She was in the sing-off for a second time, this time with Niamh Perry, with Perry having received the lowest number of viewers votes. They sang "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" from the musical Evita. Lloyd Webber chose to save Tucker and eliminate Perry.[6]
At the semi-final stage, week nine, Tucker was in the bottom two for a third and final time. This time with Samantha Barks who had received the lowest number of viewers votes. They sang "Memory" from the musical Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Barks and eliminate Tucker saying, "Last night Cameron and I were both saying that we thought both of you would be fantastic Nancys and now here am I faced with this. But I've got to make a decision and I've got to think of where the show ultimately for Cameron is going to go and I think I have to go with you Samantha.[7]
In the week following the show, it was claimed that Lloyd Webber and Theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh, who will be producing Oliver! in the West End, and who joined the panel in week nine, had fallen out over Lloyd Webber's decision to eliminate Tucker who Mackintosh had wanted to see in the final. Lloyd Webber said, "The fact is Cameron wanted Rachel to stay. He wanted Rachel and Samantha in the final from the beginning of the series. Rachel did a fantastic performance but I had to face up to the fact that she wouldn't have gone any further. What I may think professionally is sometimes different to what the public want. I saved Rachel three times and she still ended up in the bottom two."[8]
[edit] Performances on I'd Do Anything
| Show | Song |
|---|---|
| Week one | "About You Now" |
| Week two | "Beautiful" |
| Week three | "Oh, What A Night" from the musical Jersey Boys |
| Week four | "The Way We Were" |
| Week five | "I'm with You" |
| Week six | "For Once In My Life" |
| Week seven | "You've Got A Friend" |
| Week eight (quarter-final) | "I Will Always Love You" |
| Week nine (semi-final) | "Cabaret" from the musical of the same name |
[edit] Personal life
On Valentine's Day 2008 Tucker was engaged to her fiancé, theatre director Guy Retallack.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ "Nancy Contestants - Rachel", BBC, 2008-02-06. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ^ I'd Do Anything - Introducing Rachel Tucker. My Park Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ^ The British Theatre Guide : Reviews - Tommy (Theatre Royal, Newcastle,and Touring). The British Theatre Guide (2005). Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ^ Coyle, Jane. "Reviews: The Wizard of Oz", The Stage, 2007-12-03. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Reviewing the Situation: Week Six Result: Sarah was the sixth Nancy out.", BBC, 2008-05-04. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
- ^ "I'd Do Anything". 1. 2008-05-18. No. 18.
- ^ "Reviewing the Situation: Week Nine Result Rachel was the ninth Nancy to leave", BBC, 2008-05-25. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "Nancy judges fell out over Rachel's exit", Digital Spy, 2008-05-31. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
- ^ Nancy hopeful on marrying a man 17 years her senior. Mirror.co.uk (2008-04-26). Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
